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You probably know enough already

Lyle McDonald has a nice piece on his blog -  Information vs Application.  The idea is that most of us already know most of what we need to know in order to improve our health, performance or body composition.  The problem is that we do not apply what we know.

He is right, especially about how the internet has exaggerated this problem.
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John Sifferman said…
This is invaluable advice. People need to make it a point to ACT on what they already know to be true. Too many people spend exorbitant amounts of time trying to figure out the next best thing. Usually, this is just a form of procrastination - the most common form of internal resistance people face.

The truth is that we already know almost everything we could ever need to enjoy better health, fitness, and athleticism. If people just got the sleep they needed, ate the foods they know are good for them, and engaged in some vigorous physical activity regularly, most of the health problems we are facing would begin to disappear. Consistent, disciplined, hard work is always more effective than a perfectly planned regime that is pursued halfheartedly.
December 31, 2010 at 9:03 AM
williebr said…
This IS good advice, but only for informed people.

If a fat guy goes out and jogs 1hr/day and eats a low-cal, high-carb, low-fat diet and is diligent about application he's going to fail on a long enough time line.

(This sounds like my teenage years and 20's: fat, working out all the time, and every joint hurt!)

You don't need perfection to be sure (doesn't exist anyway), but, working hard at things that don't work - like aerobics for fat-loss - won't actually make it work. In fact, there is a good chance that given enough time the Food Pyramid + Jogging will leave that person fattER and with a whole host of health and joint problems.

Most people do NOT know what to do.

Just being active 6hrs/week (http://josefbrandenburg.com/how-not-to-waste-lots-and-lots-of-time-in-the-gym-and-life-while-still-getting-the-body-you-really-want/) doesn't mean anything for most people who have a weight issue.
December 31, 2010 at 9:47 AM
Anonymous said…
He's not saying it's good to know nothing, just that chances are there haven't been any life-changing discoveries in the last 72 hours, and you could have spent that time actually doing something.
December 31, 2010 at 1:16 PM
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